Lots of question from old member coming back!

[overloaded_ide]

I am back, been maybe a few years since I did much with video. Things change and things are forgotten. Most my questions will be back at newbie stage again though I am not a newbie really, I was here for years but got side tracked with other things a few years ago.

What is today's recomended Capture device for capturing my VHS tapes and Beta tapes to PC again?
I had an AIW ATI capture card and it was nice for me and I used the ATI capture software back then just fine. However my favorite old PC died I use to use, the card was AGP slot and new system don't have the slot of course.
Since things change allot, I am thinking maybe USB capture since all system have USB2 now, PCI slots on new boards are getting scarce, and I'd rather not have the same no slot problem later again so prefer not going the video card route again, if they even make those now still.
Also I would like to use the capture device on several computers at different times and USB would be easy to swap.
I am not dead set on USB but if there are good low cost reliable USB Capture devices I would like that route.

My systems are XP Pro 32 bit, and Win7 64bit. System specs are plenty high enough for CPU and ram etc..

At this time I want my old Tapes onto the PC so I can watch them right off the hard drive. I will also be ripping my DVD'S to the drive to watch from the drive. What's the most recommended program for ripping now?
I still have all the old software I had before. DVD Fab Decrypter, DVD Shrink, others, also I want to remove the junk like comercails and warnings etc... and have the old software I used before.
Any new good or all in one programs I should look at for free or very low cost?

I don't plan to "steal" any movies, but is there good cheap or free software that will capture and let me save online movies from Netflix for later viewing? The reason I ask this one is I am on SLOW dialup so I cannot watch the movies online at home. I do take the laptop to WIFI spot often when I need to download large programs and content that I buy! While I am at WIFI I should be able to watch movies online at Netflix ok but I have other things to do so don't have the time to watch them while there.
What I would like to do is just record them when I can just like using the Tivo or other boxes for TV they give you for recording on TV stuff. Then when I get home I could watch them and delete them after.
This ain't stealing anything, it would be same thing as using the boxes they give you for cable or satellite TV services to record now and watch later!

Are the Blueray burners and disks worth getting into yet?
I remember long ago when I started, it was 2X burners and +R or -R LOL
Just before the dual format drives came out. What a bunch of wars of which was better and which would would work what players. Half the disks made coasters etc...
Is Blue ray something to do now or wait till later?
If Blue-ray burners and disks are reliable now, what is good recommended software for creating the disks?
I have allot of series stuff I would like to put on one large disk, like the 4 Tremors movies, Lethal Weapons, Etc...
I don't care about better quality, I just want to stop searching for disk all the time and only finding half the series when I want it.

More later maybe, have to run now.

Good to be back, and yes I tried a little searching and lots of reading today, just so much has changed and new it's going to take awhile to find it all on my own and I don't even know what to look for.

[fritzi93]

Welcome back.

Dunno about Netflix, but I use a Hauppauge HD-PVR to capture component from my HD cablebox. Occasionally I'll record something off On Demand for viewing later. It saves as H.264 transport stream. VHS capture, people still do that? :P Actually, I do that for other folks from time to time with my two-year old LeadTek Winfast capture card, but others can give you better advice.

As to Blu-Ray, yeah. So many people object to it for one reason or another, but *right now* it's the best option for high definition movies. I don't watch standard definition anything any more, it looks too flat. HD cable and Blu-Ray for me. I don't have a Blu-Ray burner, just a BD-ROM. I decrypt them with AnyDVDHD and re-encode to BD 5 or 9 (single layer or dual-layer DVDR) using BDRB. The results are surprisingly good, as H.264 is very efficient. You need an HTPC or a BD standalone that will play AVCHD discs, not all do. I may get a BD burner eventually, but as of now, the burners and discs are too expensive.

Blu-Ray is a whole new environment as far as tools go. Right now is like the early days of DVD. So if you want to get into that, be prepared to learn all new tools and procedures. The only really indispensable payware is AnyDVDHD to decrypt, it's the only reliable option. Most other things can be accomplished with freeware, such as advert deletion with tsSniper, basic authoring with tsMuxer and multiAVCHD, re-encoding with BDRB, etc. I'd recommend getting a BD-ROM (~$60 bucks) and having a go with some free tools to get some experience. You need a dual-core processor at minimum, BTW, a quad would be better.

Good luck.

[overloaded_ide]

Thanks, and yes I still have tapes LOL
VHS and also Beta. I never throw any thing away, I still have 8-track tapes too

My only interest right now in Blueray would be for storage, so if a headache and expensive for burner, disks, and software I'll stay with DVD a bit longer and only need a capture device I think.

I forgot to mention, I still have my Facet Video Clarifier for by passing the tape protections, if it still works, not used it for year or so, it served me well in the past.

I like mostly older stuff so not too interested in Blueray quality for watching disks now and I am only in a 25" size range for my TV and monitor now also. I am tired of searching for tapes and disks when I want to watch something and my surround sound on the PC is 10 times better than the one I have for the TV etc..
When my DVD player broke and I been looking at new ones I don't like, I decided why bother with all that? I have DVD burners, Hard drives are getting really large and cheap, etc..

I hated the last DVD player I had and it cost me $50, did not even have a fast forward or review, could only skip chapters, and I think it lasted less than a year!

[fritzi93]

Well, I personally don't see much point in Blu-Ray for storage only. As you say, hard drive space is pretty cheap. So are DVDRs.

I'm not familiar with the Facet Video Clarifier, I presume it goes between the output device and the capture device? If so, and assuming it still works, most any decent capture card would do, no? Sorry I can't help you with a specific recommendation.